Digital supply chain challanges: Smart tools supported coopetition and contract supported cooperation

Abstract

In the 21st century, the business world has begun to change. The industry 4.0 influences the whole business world. Smart tools help the real-time data-exchange, the better information-flow. The supply chains are counting many members nowadays, that is the reason why this smart tools could help the supply chain members. But this growth also includes the problem of coordination; to manage the increased number of chain members is getting to be more difficult but at least so important in the case of efficiency. To decrease the replenishment times and the delivery period, to choose the cost-saving shipping methods are just one of the most important factors to get profit across satisfying all of the customers. Supply chain coordination recommends the contracts to coordinate the relationship of chain members. There are many contract types to use, but it is a very important thing to choose the one which fits the best to the specific relationship. It means if a wrong one is chosen it will not coordinate the chain and neither the partners’ relationship. So the choice has strategic importance. The paper analyzes two companies; their attitudes – what do they prefer in the construction of contracts (prices, quantities, discounts, etc.), the different level of dominance – so in short the factors which influence the choice of the companies. A numerical example for the case study is also included to compare the contracts.